"The Championship is not an option" - I Love Football off-season and transfer speculation thread 2012

"Torres is Chelsea's future" - says 34-year-old who kept him out of the team before moving to China.

"Torres is Chelsea's future" - says 34-year-old, failing to stifle his giggles, who kept him out of the team before moving to China.

― Djibril Citté (onimo), Wednesday, May 23, 2012 8:25 AM (43 seconds ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

"Torres is Chelsea's future" - says 34-year-old who is 20 times the player Torres ever has been or will be.

Newcastle United took the latest step in their successful French revolution yesterday when Romain Amalfitano arrived in the North-east to finalise a three-year contract. The Stade de Reims midfielder agreed in principle to move to Newcastle in February, and he returned to their Benton training ground to push through his transfer from the French side, who have just won promotion to Ligue 1.

Newcastle will not end their interest in France with his signing, either, as they hope to buy two further players from Ligue 1 during the summer transfer window.

The club have already been involved in talks with the Montpellier defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. The 23-year-old has just helped his team land the title in France, for the first time, and there is huge interest in dismantling a side that was put together for very little. Newcastle are aware they face competition for the central defender, but believe they currently lead the race to land Yanga-Mbiwa as he has indicated he is keen to move to the club.

There is also an approach to Lille to sign their full-back Mathieu Debuchy. The 26-year-old bid an emotional farewell to his club's supporters on Sunday following their 4-1 victory over Nancy. That is seen as the surest indication yet that he is ready to end his 18-year association with Lille, whom he joined as an eight-year-old. That Debuchy is such a good friend of Cabaye is seen as a huge advantage to Newcastle, as they search for a new right-back.

i know debuchy and yanga-mbiwa are meant to be the business, anyone (jibe) know the scoop on amalfitano?

double European Cup finalists Stade de Reims

tbh don't know a thing about this amalfitano and i thought they were talking about the one playing at marseille except that one's name is morgan (and upon googling is the elder brother of romain). so yeah sorry don't have a lot to offer on romain amalfitano since i'm too far to actually follow ligue 2 closely.

Time for Ashley to show that lauded ruthless streak and replace Pardew with a proper manager because that's an incredible squad they're putting together.

^^^ shook

I like how that makes Jibe's post look like a mouthwatering endorsement of the lad Amalfitano

Blatter, Fifa's president, was able to announce the appointment of the first woman on to the body's Executive Committee – Lydia Nsekera of Burundi – although even that landmark moment was clouded in confusion as Nsekera declined to speak to the media until she had received written confirmation.

"She's a lovely lady, she's a tough lady," said Blatter. "She's a princess, the daughter of a sultan. She was really the best choice."

"also rocking boobs"

The embattled Blackburn Rovers manager, Steve Kean, appeared to have survived his latest crisis meeting with the club's owners Venky's, the poultry company, in India yesterday, having convinced co-owner Anuradha Desai that he remains the man to lead the relegated club back to the Premier League.

Whether Kean will make it through the summer without losing his job remains to be seen but his efforts yesterday are understood to have centred upon telling the key figures who own Rovers he would be crucial to persuading Junior Hoilett to re-sign for the club.

The Canadian winger, who is highly-regarded by many Premier League teams, is out of contract next month and the club are still trying desperately to persuade him to sign a new deal. While this prospect seems remote in the extreme, Kean has long told the owners Venky's that his future at the club is crucial to how Hoilett regards his own future.

lol idiot

which?

Think what Hoilett is saying is "Kean out".

How good is Hoilett exactly? I get the feeling that if he were all that, Venky's would've flogged him already.

Maybe they don't know about the "Bosman Rule" and think out of contract players can't go anywhere.

Is Kean in one of those jobs where you get to write your own appraisals?

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02224/cech_2224878k.jpg

nyerrrrd

Hoilett looks v good to me, anytime I see him.

How good is Hoilett exactly? I get the feeling that if he were all that, Venky's would've flogged him already.

― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 23 May 2012 11:19 (5 hours ago)

Well he isn't worth a penny, regardless of talent, thanks to his contract being up. Wouldn't mind him to replace Benny Noon tbh

Lille's highly sought after star Eden Hazard has agreed terms with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, according to the player's agent.

The Belgian is now deciding which team to join, and will reveal his decision after Belgium's international friendlies against Montenegro and England.
"We are no longer in the negotiations stage," Hazard's agent John Bico told the Telegraph. "We have reached agreement with all parties. There will be no higher bid.

"Eden has already said he wants it to be fixed before June 2. He will decide after the Red Devils' (Belgium) games against Montenegro and England, then go on holiday with peace of mind.
"Eden is in the reflections stage and a decision will be taken quickly. Those who have come forward have a one-in-three chance (of signing him)."

The attacking midfielder has so far been non-committal with regards to who he will join and has dropped hints over the possibility of signing for all three clubs in the past.
However, Chelsea are now understood to be favourites to secure his signature, with the Manchester clubs apparently reluctant to meet his reported £200,000-per-week wage demands.

It is understood that City will only sign the player on wages worth £110,000-per-week as the club's hierarchy believe that, after winning the Premier League title, they do not have to pay over the odds to attract top players.

United, meanwhile, have similar issues over wage demands, and also the £35 million price tag which Lille are likely to demand for their player.

sick to fuck of this cunt already

got eventual Real Madrid player written all over him

Utd also apparently "in talks" with Everton about Baines. Would be delighted with him, Kagawa, plus another midfielder

http://i.imgur.com/bZbw2.jpg

Haha, that's excellent. The headline I mean, not the transfer. Let Everton alone.

oh noes 12 matches without a certain stupid cunt ;_;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCmAjbTSTOg

think of joey while u watch this

sick to fuck of this cunt already

― pet tommy & the barkhaters (darraghmac), Wednesday, May 23, 2012 12:18 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

bears repeating

Who was the last player to come to the Premiership with this level of hype/interminable transfer saga behind him? I'm thinking possibly Arshavin and we know how that worked out.

aguero?

i guess he was more hype than 'transfer saga'

Robinho was a good one, p sure he didn't know who he'd signed for until the press conference

Mata too, I think. He could have easily ended up at 4 different clubs and was crazy hyped.

nah, not really. I know Liverpool were mentioned but it felt like Chelsea kind of snuck in for him

iirc spurs failed with the levy hardball, arsenal didnt get their shit together before his release clause ran out and then he was too expensive, lolverpool thought downing was the way to go, chelsea came in and did it in a day

even still he was hyped but not interminable hazard hyped

Hazard's good. I liked Mata better but it's easier to look exciting playing at the Mestalla imo.

The Suarez deal took ages to get tied up, but I don't recall anyone else showing any interest.

feel like hazard's just gonna be a lot of this in the end

http://i.imgur.com/ldK12.gif

He was fouled more than any other player in Europe this season, but he also lead Ligue 1 in successful dribbles, and assists, and scored 20 goals.

led*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuoQK1EN0O8

i was third in ligue un for dribbles fwiw

would feel more sorry for barton had he done the job properly on aguero.

Yeah, this really seems like something that needs addressing

Referees are set to be subject to drugs tests, Fifa's medical chiefs have revealed.

Match officials now have to pass stringent fitness tests and the world governing body's medical experts say they should also be tested to make sure they are not taking performance-enhancing substances.

Fifa's chief medical officer, Jiri Dvorak, told a conference in Budapest: "We have to consider referees as part of the game.

"We have started to discuss this and this is something for the future which will be discussed to include possibly an anti-doping programme for referees.

"We do not have an indication that this is a problem but this is something we have to look at. The referees are a neglected population."

Michel D'Hooghe, the chairman of Fifa's medical committee, added: "The referee is an athlete on the field so I think he should be subjected to the same rules."

Meanwhile, the World Anti-Doping Agency's director general, David Howman, told the Fifa medical conference that it may change rules to allow players from team sports who are banned for doping offences to return to training – though not playing – earlier. He said: "We are looking for ideas on how reductions for an early return to training can be done."

D'Hooghe said players in team sports were hit harder by drugs bans than individual athletes such as runners, who are still able to train and therefore return to competition as soon as their ban ends.

they should be providing them with complimentary drugs

So the guy in charge of drug-testing has said he needs to be given more work = more responsibility = bigger pay deal? Standard issue politics, but honestly, how exactly does the referee having nandrolone biscuits before every game give anyone a competitive advantage?

I should stop being surprised every time someone from fifa says something idiotic, but I'm not quite immunized against puzzlement just yet. ffs fifa.

Was there anything else on the agenda at this conference?

there was a nice buffet apparently